Grocery Shopping in Copenhagen

In Lafayette, my normal grocery shopping routine is to go to the big store on Friday (every one or two weeks, depending on what I need) and then to the farmer's market on Saturday. Although the grocery store isn't very far away, I do need to drive and I try to plan ahead so I don't need to make trips more than once every week or two because it isn't really on my way anywhere. Living in Copenhagen, grocery shopping is very different. I imagine this is partly because it's a big city and partly European cultural differences.

In our apartment, we have a small fridge that has a shoebox sized freezer. We're sharing the fridge between two of us, so there isn't much space. We also don't have very much pantry space in the kitchen. So you need to buy groceries more frequently in smaller quantities. However, this is easy because you are probably always within a block or two of a small grocery store. These small stores have pretty much all the basics you need. They don't just sell processed food, but have a good selection of produce, meat, dairy, and baking supplies. Here are some examples of this kind of store. I took these pictures today biking home to my apartment from the city center:

Additionally, there are some larger grocery stores that also sell household goods, clothing, electronics, etc. My Danish buddy described them as Danish Walmarts, although they are much classier than Walmart and still not nearly as big. We live near one of these and there is also one near CBS. They are a little more expensive, but have more variety.

Finally, there are smaller independent stores, often run by immigrants and stocking more international foods. These stores are most common in my area of Copenhagen, and yes, even when I got here in January, they had produce outside. Things that are more cold sensitive will be inside, but even on snowy days, the produce gets put out. The store below is a block from my house, so the closest store to me. A little further away is a larger store like this. It's where I go to find some less standard items like black beans and pistachios.

As an expat who has been here for several years said, you can buy anything in Copenhagen, but it might take some searching to figure out where to buy it. Between the different types of stores, your bases are covered, but it isn't always one stop shopping.